The Conversion of Johnny
The Conversion of Johnny is the 5th short story in the anthology , published in June 1953. The story takes place mostly in Chelsingford, a small town west of London, during the blitz. Synopsis Johnny, an accomplished burglar, finds the "blitz" in London too hot for him and decides to take a break in the countryside. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) Johnny, an accomplished burglar, has always been able to stay one step ahead of Detective-Sergeant "Bones" Grady who had known him since childhood and who had been detailed to "get him. But the "blitz" over London had caused a changed in Johnny's attitude. To begin with, he shared his fellow Londoners' hatred of the common foe and Johnny felt that it would not be right to take advantage of his fellow citizens while they were being bombed. He couldn't join the armed forces--he had neglected to register at the proper time and to do so now would raise suspicions. Nor could he join the Civil Defence--he would be the first to be suspected of looting if anything went missing. So Johnny decides to take a break in the countryside. Not having any definite idea where to go, he buys a ticket to Chelsingford. Arriving at the town, he passes by a large house and meets Sally, the parlourmaid who befriends him and offers to show him about town. Johnny spends much time with Sally and by the end of the week, has learned enough about her household to plan his burglary. The house belonged to one Squadron Leader Clinton, who was often away on duty. There was only Mrs Clinton, a four year old son and Sally at home. Johnny had even been invited into the house by Sally. But something stops Johnny from making his move. Each time he sets out to do the burglary, he would think of an excuse to delay it. Finally he decides he must act. On a day when he was going to meet and go out with Sally, he would stand her up and rob the house while she was out. Hiding in a hedge near the house, he overhears Sally telling a friend that she can't meet Johnny because Squadron Leader Clinton was on his way home and needed supper. Johnny's plans had been thwarted! But just then, an bomber flies over and drops some bombs, one of which hits the house and sets it on fire. Acting more out of instinct than anything else, he dashes into the burning house. He finds Sally on the floor, grabs her and bundles her out, handing her to a fireman. He then ignores the fireman's warnings and dashes in again to rescue Mrs Clinton and her son. Emerging from the house, he meets Squadron Leader Clinton who thanks him and says he needed a man like him as a crewman in his aircraft. Johnny is excited to have the chance to strike back. But Detective-Sergeant Grady turns up. He had followed Johnny from London and had never been far from him--he was at the gate of the house when the bombs fell. Just then the sirens sound. "That sounds to me like the all-clear," he tells Johnny. Grady goes off and wishes Johny, "Good hunting!" The formalities over, Squadron Leader goes to look for his family and Johnny to look for Sally. Characters *Johnny (burglar) *Detective-Sergeant "Bones" Grady *Squadron Leader Clinton *Sally (parlourmaid) Aircraft *Unidentified German bomber Ships Places Visited *London *Chelsingford Research Notes Publication History References Category:Short stories Category:Other short stories Category:Adult short stories